1. Field of the Invention
This invention broadly concerns a building which serves as a milking facility and includes three separate areas for accommodating a dairy animal, a herdsman or operator, and a service alley for access to milk receivers and other equipment requiring operator access. Advantageously, the dairy animal area or platform is positioned immediately above the service alley to isolate the milk receiver from the animals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a typical modern milking parlor, cows enter the parlor area and are positioned in side-by-side relationship in either a perpendicular or so-called herringbone pattern. The cows are located at one higher elevation, and the operators are located at a second, lower elevation in an operator area or "pit". The operators are free to move along the pit to service the animals during milking by attaching or removing the teat claws and performing other maintenance operations.
The operators, also known as herdsmen, must also attend to a variety of milk transfer equipment, much of it including a good deal of electronics. For example, the milk weigh meters are typically located in the pit, as are clean-in-place units, milk lines, vacuum lines, and pulsation lines. Other equipment may often be located in the pit. Unfortunately, this exposes the equipment to the cows, manure, urine, flies and other disease carriers as well as high or low ambient temperatures according to the local environment. This equipment must be not only cleaned and maintained, but also avoided when the herdsman is tending the cows.